Yesterday I was having a great conversation with my mentor and tutor about the Apostle Paul and his basic theology. Of course there's nothing basic about Paul, but we attempted it anyway. No matter how we dissected Paul's writings, contested or not, one theme kept coming up; unity. Paul honestly just wanted everyone to live together in harmony, without placing restrictions which promoted exclusivity. In other words Paul's hope was that everyone in his time can be one people under God.
I became passionate as I began to speak of the Hawaiian ideals of ohana (loosely translated as family but really translates as a community of loved ones), and ahu'pua'a (the idea that we need to provide for one another). The indigenous people of Hawaii fully understood that they must be in unity to ensure the survival of their people. My guess is so did those who lived in 60 CE. Living in unity is something we've forgotten in today's culture. Think about the last time you went out of your way to help someone without them asking.
So, what about the revelation you might be asking. Today's lectionary passage is from John 10:11-18. It has Jesus talking about being the Good Shepherd and what a Good Shepherd is. Another passage I've read and heard preached about many, many times. So many times, in fact, that I forget to actually read it.
(This is where we pause while you open your bible to this passage)
One flock, one shepherd.
I will never tire of how God is revealed to me.
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